For she's the Raven, the daughter of Dragon
by Syluk
Summary: With a beat of wings as black as the night and a smile as bright as the sun, Monkey D. Luffy had changed the fate of people who were lucky enough to meet this maelstrom of energy. She was not only an infamous pirate captain known as Canary of Death, but also a top member of the Revolutionary army – Canary of Revolution. (AU, different DF fem!Luffy, eventually LawLu) SLOW UPDATES
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece  
**

 **English is not my first language, but this chapter was betaread by** **DemonicWhispers** **! I seriously can't thank her enough, she's simply awesome like that :)** But she's only a temporal Betareader till I find a permanent one for this story. It's not easy to find a good Beta, so if anyone who will read this story would like to help me, please write me a PM. I don't ask much, only to have time for betawork and communication with me.

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

* * *

"Dragon-san, I brought a report from the Barnacle Island."

Revolutionary Dragon lifted his eyes from the other papers he was already reading to look at the man with shoulder-long blond hair who just entered his office. "Let me see it," he urged, reaching for the report. He quickly skimmed through the text. A smirk tugged the corners of his mouth. "They did it," Dragon exhaled. "Finally, things are moving forward."

"Congratulations, Dragon-san!" the revolutionist cheered. "With this, the Barnacle Island is as good as ours!"

Dragon's eyes snapped back at the man in front of his desk. "One victory does not win a war, Cyrus," he said seriously, but his voice was suddenly drowned in loud slurps and munching coming from the back of the room behind him. Cyrus chuckled, while Dragon only sighed. "Luffy," he called, "be careful, don't choke on your food."

"Iw hwon'ht!" came an eager answer, followed by another loud slurp.

"And don't talk with your mouth full of–" Dragon cut himself off as he realized that there actually was nothing edible in his office. He jumped on his feet, spinning around to look at his daughter. "Luffy, what are you–" Dragon's eyes widened as he stared at the half-eaten thing in his six years old girl's palms. It was a black colored, carambola shaped fruit with bright red pulp.

"Hwe thastwe ih a bwit wherhd," Luffy slurred around a mouthful of fruit. She gulped down the bit in her mouth and grinned brightly at her father with a juice dripping from her chin. "I think it's rotten!" the girl declared, proud of herself that she'd managed to figure it out. Despite her own conclusion, Luffy threw the last piece of fruit in her mouth and happily chewed on it.

"S-sir? Isn't that a Devil Fruit?" Cyrus stuttered out, glancing at his boss uncertain.

Dragon heaved a heavy sigh and pinched a bridge of his nose. "Yes," he confirmed. "Yes, it is." It was his own fault. He should have locked that chest with a newly acquired Devil Fruit. Luffy was often whiling her free time in his office when her father was in the base, and Dragon knew about her incurable curiosity and enormous appetite. It couldn't be helped now. It was a bit early, but Dragon had planned to give her daughter an option to eat a Devil Fruit when she was older.

Luffy was staring at the spot next to her father. Her eyes widened in wonder. "W-who are you?" she stammered out.

Dragon frowned, glancing at the empty space beside him.

"Mom?" Luffy asked in disbelief. "But dad said my mom died years ago."

"Dragon-san?" the revolutionary whispered to his boss. "What kind of fruit did she eat?"

"It was still unknown," the man replied, observing the little girl with a troubled scowl on his face. "Cyrus, did you have a good look at that fruit before Luffy ate it?"

"Yes, sir."

The black-haired girl knitted her brows in confusion. "What do you mean it's true that you're already dead?" she continued her strange conversation with a thin air.

"Collecting information about that specific Devil Fruit is now your top priority, Cyrus," Dragon ordered. "Use any means necessary. Understand?"

"Yes, sir!" the man answered with a firm nod and promptly left the room to start his task.

"Dad, is she telling the truth?" Luffy turned to her father and fixed him with an inquisitive stare. "Is she really my mom?"

"Luffy… I can't see anyone here but us two."

The girl blinked owlishly several times, then her gaze shifted to the side again. "But she's right there… I'm not lying!"

Dragon came closer and picked his daughter up. "I believe you, but maybe it'd be better if you wouldn't talk with whoever you're seeing. At least until I'm sure it's safe for you."

Luffy hugged her father's neck so that she could keep her eyes on the same empty spot. "Mom looks so sad…" she muttered. "Don't be sad, mom."

"Luffy!" Dragon scolded her.

The kid was silent for a bit before she giggled. "Shishishishi, okay, I can do that!" Luffy leaned back so that she could look at her dad's face. She put her hands on his cheeks, cleared her throat, and recited with a serious expression, "From small beginnings come great things," and then pecked him on the nose.

Dragon stiffened. As he stared at his little girl, memories of a similar black-haired beauty flooded into his mind. The way she smiled and tucked stray strands over her ear, the way her eyes sparkled when she'd found something interesting, the way she leaned closer with warm hands on his cheeks and always whispered those words before giving him a passionate kiss.

Dragon pressed Luffy tightly to his chest so that she wouldn't see wetness in his eyes. There was no one else in the room, so he wasn't concerned about letting his masks slip. Especially experiencing such a familiar gesture that he thought would never experience ever again. "That is your mother," Dragon admitted quietly. His embrace heightened as the fact that Luffy was seeing and talking with her dead mother finally fully sunk into his mind.

Luffy communicated with a ghost. His little girl had gained an ability to see dead people.

There probably were a lot of ghosts with unfinished business wandering around the mortal plane. Dragon was sure that not all of them were friendly; that there were bound to be malicious spirits among them. He wondered what else that Devil Fruit allowed its users to do, but either way, his little girl's life had become so much harder. "I'm sorry, Luffy," Dragon said.

"Mom said the same," Luffy informed. "I don't understand."

"You will, our little sunshine, you will."

* * *

"Cyrus, you look tired," Dragon commented as the man almost staggered into his office with a pile of papers in his arms.

The blonde smiled, even though it seemed that it cost him a lot of strength to do so. "This information was more important than several hours of my beauty sleep," he retorted, offering documents to his boss. "It's everything I could find about Luffy-chan's Devil Fruit."

Dragon grabbed papers and immediately skimmed through the text. A severe scowl found its way onto his features. "So, she really can see ghosts…" he muttered. It was almost two weeks from the day the youngest Monkey ate the Devil Fruit, and most of that time she spent talking with her dead mother which started to concern not only Dragon but other members of the Revolutionary army too. Dragon flipped the page and suddenly froze as he read what was written. "This is…" he trailed off, lifting his eyes to look at Cyrus. "Is this information really correct?"

The revolutionary sighed. "Unfortunately, yes. According to my sources, the last user of this fruit was driven to madness by it, and he killed himself leaving his own country in bloody ruins."

Dragon glared at the paper before tossing it onto his desk. He leaned back and run over his face with his hands. Suddenly, the World's Most Wanted Man felt so tired and helpless. "Ability to see future at the cost of your own sanity… If the World Government get news of this, they will definitely want to get their hands on this fruit." Dragon's eyes glinted dangerously, and all of a sudden his expression turned fierce. "And I won't let them have my daughter."

"Of course not, sir!" Cyrus exclaimed. "You can count on all of us! We'll give our lives to keep our little princess safe!"

Dragon smirked at his comrade's words. Luffy had an incredible ability to charm pretty much everyone she ever met.

Suddenly they heard a sound of wings flapping. That was the only warning before a black blur burst into the room through an open window and smashed into Dragon's chest as he turned around to look at it. Small hands wrapped around the man's neck as Luffy snuggled in as close as possible. Her pure black feathered wings, attached to her shoulder blades, and a bird-like tail, protruding from under the bottom edge of the red, open back t-shirt, slightly quivered together with silent sobs which escaped her mouth.

"Luffy, what's wrong?" Dragon asked, ignoring sharp talons from Luffy's bird-like legs, stabbing into his sides. He started to stroke his little girl's short hair, carefully avoiding black bone half-mask with two holes for eyes and a beak-like nose at the side of her head. It always appeared there, once Luffy used a half-transformation. She was yet to shift into her Devil Fruit's full form.

"Mom is leaving…" Luffy sniffled.

Dragon glanced at Cyrus, but he was already at the door. He gave a quick bow before leaving the two Monkeys alone.

"What do you mean she is leaving?" Dragon inquired with an unexpectedly soft voice, trying to soothe the distressed child.

"She's saying that she can't stay any longer because she's already fulfilled her wish and that… that..."

"That it was time for her to move on?"

"Yeah…" Luffy tightened her embrace. "Will you leave too, dad?"

"Of course not!" he denied forcefully. "I would never leave my little canary alone."

"Promise?"

Dragon smiled. "Promise."

Suddenly Luffy frowned as she repeated her dad's words in her head. "What's a canary?" she asked, leaning back to look at his face.

"Canaries are little, cute birds. Just like you."

"What? No!" Luffy seemed mortified by an idea. She flapped her big black wings in agitation. "I don't want to be a cute bird! I want to be a cool one!" Then she snapped her head to the side. "Mom! You don't need to agree with him!"

Dragon chuckled. He and his wife always easily agreed with each other. Remembering that the ghost of his beloved one was leaving, Dragon's smile faltered. He gazed around his office in a vain attempt to see her one more time.

Luffy felt a shift in her father's mood, and she hugged him again. "Don't be sad, dad," she said, forgetting the fact that just a moment ago she was crying over the same thing. "Mom is leaving, but I'm here." The girl looked at the same side and answered someone only she could see and hear, "Don't worry, mom, we'll be okay. I'll train even harder and I'll grow stronger, and stronger, and stronger, and even stronger than that! And then I'll protect dad, I promise!" She giggled after a short pause. "Shishishishi, that's right! I'll protect my friends and nakama, too!"

"Oh, so you want to protect me?" Dragon asked, amused by such a heart-warming proclamation of his daughter.

Luffy grinned at him, spreading her wings to their full length to appear bigger than she actually was. "Of course! One day I'm gonna be stronger than you!" Suddenly her stomach let out a loud growl, and she giggled sheepishly.

"You need to eat a lot to become stronger than me. And not only meat, but vegetables, too," Dragon scolded her. "Cooks were complaining that you were neglecting it."

Luffy crunched her face in disgust. "I don't like those green thingies, but if it helps… I-I can do it!" she declared, determination sparkling in her obsidian eyes.

Dragon chuckled again, standing from his seat. "Well then, let's go and see what we can find in the kitchen," he said, eliciting a cheerful 'Yay!' from his little girl. Before leaving, he glanced at Cyrus' report, reading the name of her Devil Fruit for the last time.

 _Mythical Zoan type Bird-Bird Devil Fruit, Model: Soul Raven._

* * *

Luffy was true to her words to train harder and get stronger. Dragon and the training teachers of the Revolutionary army were impressed by the little girl's efforts and stubbornness. Not even the bruises adorning her skin stopped Luffy from fulfilling her promise to her dead mother. Dragon was really proud of his little canary.

While Luffy got hang of half-transformation, she was yet to transform fully, even after a year. No one understood why she wasn't able to do it. Although, Dragon suspected that it had something to do with the fruit's precognition powers. It couldn't have been a skill easy to learn and control.

Despite Luffy's charming and cheerful personality, other children in training started to avoid and shun her because of her unrivaled strength and also her quirk to often talk with thin air. They knew that behind it was the power of the Devil Fruit, but the fact that she was seeing ghosts didn't become less scary to them. Because of that, the youngest Monkey spent more and more time with her invisible friends or flying around high up in the sky where, according to her, she could be completely alone.

Luffy was slowly pulling away from the life in the base. Several times Dragon found his daughter curled up into a ball with her hands clamped tightly on her ears. At a question what was wrong, she always answered, "Dead people are saying bad things."

That Dragon was worried was an understatement. All the personnel at the base started to get worried, and more than once they came to their boss to ask about the little princess, sometimes even trying to give advice for him.

Following one of their advice, Dragon prepared to take his daughter out for a vacation outside of the Aerule Island where the Revolution's main base was located. Luffy spent seven years there, not seeing anything else but Aerule's Great Plains with the mountains surrounding it from the Northwest and forest from the Southwest. It was time for the little raven to see the world.

Dragon was walking across the garden to pick his daughter up from the training grounds where she had her morning practice. Suddenly all the chirping birds in the trees fell silent, and a tangible tension filled the air. Dragon felt his hair standing on end, and it was NOT a good feeling. The tension grew with every step he took to get closer to the training yard, buzzing in all surroundings like an ill omen. Until it finally snapped.

A scream echoed from beyond the garden's fence, causing Dragon's fatherly instincts go into overload.

It was Luffy's scream.

In a blink of an eye, he was in the yard, quickly sweeping the area with his sharp gaze for an immediate threat. There was nothing dangerous around.

Several teachers were standing at the edge of the wide empty training ground, a bunch of kids flocking to them, looking scared and unsure of what was happening. They all stared at the small hunched figure in the middle - Luffy. Cyrus was crouching beside her, speaking something silently, but his voice was drowned by a girl's heartbreaking wail.

"What happened?" Dragon asked, quickly making his way towards his daughter.

Cyrus jumped to his feet, startled. "Dragon-san," he said, relief crossing his features, "we were training and-" he got cut off as Dragon stopped next to Luffy, and she whipped her head up so fast that it was a mystery how she didn't break her neck.

"Daaaaaad..!" Luffy cried out. Everyone saw the black wings appearing, and a split second later the half-transformed child was already squeezing her father in a tight hug, sobbing relentlessly into his shoulder.

Dragon rubbed soothing circles on the girl's back while frowning at such display of despair. He fixed Cyrus with a pointed stare, giving him a silent order to continue an explanation.

"Luffy achieved her full transformation today," the man recalled. "The form has the second pair of eyes, but they were closed. She tried to open them, and…" he trailed off, motioning to the distressed child in the boss' arms. After a pause, the blonde added in a whisper, "I think those are the eyes to peek into the future."

Dragon's scowl deepened. He turned around to leave the training ground, waving at Cyrus to follow him. When they passed the garden's gate, far away to be out of earshot of everyone else, the commander of revolutionists gave all attention to his daughter who hadn't calmed down in a slightest. "Luffy," he called softly, "tell me, what have you seen?"

"Th-there was… fire… and-and blood… a-and darkness... It was scary... A-a man… a dark, dark man..." Luffy stammered in between her uncontrollable sobs. "And th-then... a-another man… red… so much r-red… and… and… h-he was kill-killing people I cared about!" Luffy exclaimed, her childish voice raw with pain and grief. With every word from the girl Dragon's and Cyrus' faces grew more concerned and confused. "Dad… don't die… d-don't leave me alone… I don't want to be alone, dad..." Luffy whispered, clinging to her father for dear life.

"I won't," Dragon promised in haste. "I won't leave my little canary alone. Never."

"She opened those eyes just a tiny bit…" Cyrus muttered. "I don't even want to think what would happen with Luffy-chan if she opened them fully."

"She would be overwhelmed with madness," Dragon stated. "Luffy, can you promise me to keep those eyes closed from now on?"

The girl simply nodded, not even lifting her head from her father's shoulder or easing her death grip on him.

* * *

It took more than a week for Luffy to bounce back from the incident with her precognition powers. It helped that she was in the middle of the open sea as she seemed mesmerized by the never-ending blue, surrounding them from all sides. Also, it helped that there were no ghosts on the ship.

The little raven liked to glide around the vessel together with the seagulls who were accompanying them. The crew always got near heart attacks when she suddenly swooped from the sky and gracefully landed on deck, or jumped from the highest point of the main mast, sprouting her wings only at the last moment before smashing into the deck.

Their destination was a tropical summer island in the middle of the Grand Line. The Revolutionary army had a small base there in a village by the name of Highcliff for information gathering purpose, and that's where Dragon brought Luffy for a vacation. Cyrus took a ship and its crew for a mission nearby, leaving father and daughter alone for a while.

* * *

"Ne, ne, dad, what's that place you want to show me?" Luffy asked eagerly, skipping several steps forward to stride in front of her father. She turned around and started to walk backward.

"Luffy, be careful, don't fall down," Dragon said.

They had just left the army's base and now were walking up the street through Highcliff's market. It was full of people, and the air buzzed from the chorus of their voices.

A pout appeared on the black-haired girl's face. "I'll be alright, dad. I'm a tough warrior after all!"

The man smiled. "You look more like a little canary to me," he teased.

"I'm a raven! Ravens are way cooler than canaries!" Luffy exclaimed, frustrated. "And they eat meat while canaries do not! I want to eat my meat!"

Dragon simply chuckled at his daughter's logic. Suddenly Luffy bumped into a small cart, filled with apples. An old woman who was pushing the cart yelped as the weight of the child shoved it to the side, ripping the handle from her grip. The cart toppled over and all the fruits spilled into the street, rolling into every direction. Several people fell down, stepping on the apples, causing even bigger chaos to erupt in the market.

"Look where you're going, you little urchin!" screamed the old woman, her voice dripping with venom.

Luffy backed away from her, startled by her aggressive tone. Dragon stepped in front of his daughter, between her and the cart's owner.

"Do not talk with my daughter like that," he growled out, glaring at the woman. "She didn't do that on purpose."

The old hag glared right back at him, not intimidated by a tall, tattooed stranger at all. "I don't care if she did it on purpose or not, she ruined my items for sale!" she retorted. "You're a father, you pay for it!"

Dragon slid his hand under his cloak and pulled out a bag of beli. He poured some into his palm and offered to the cart's owner.

The woman eyed the money, then crossed her arms in front of her and defiantly cocked her chin up. "Too little," she declared.

While Dragon argued with the old hag, Luffy heard someone calling her.

"Hey, little girl, come here."

She turned to look into an alley. There was a smiling middle-aged man waving to her. One of the dead people. Luffy glanced back at her father and then strolled towards the ghost.

"Hello," she greeted politely.

"Hello," the man greeted back, his smile growing wider. "I have something interesting to show you, come with me."

Luffy frowned. "But dad told me-"

"Don't you want to see what I have to show you? It's very interesting. I promise."

"I do…" The little raven didn't like the way this ghost was smiling at her, but she really wanted to see that interesting thing he was talking about.

"It's not far," the man assured her, before flickering out of existence and appearing further down the alley. "Come with me."

Luffy glanced one more time at her father who still was busy with the old hag. "Okay!" she exclaimed cheerily, skipping after the ghost.

* * *

"You said it's not far…" whined Luffy as she climbed uphill, glancing over her shoulder. "I can't even see the village anymore…"

"It's not far anymore, I promise." The man's ghost flashed his usual smile. "It's worth the trouble, believe me."

Luffy heaved a sigh, feeling a tiredness settling in her body, and continued scaling the hill. At the top, she finally stopped and looked around in awe. It was a top of the highest sea cliff, so she could see far into the ocean. The blue surface sparkled like gemstones against the sun, and the seagulls darted around squealing happily. The wind was a bit harsh, though, and the girl had to use all her strength just to keep on her feet.

"Come further," the man urged her.

Luffy looked down at the cliff. It had a slope going towards the water down below, probably caused by a landslide sometime in the past. The ghost was standing on the slope and waved to her to step forward.

"But…" the girl doubted. "It doesn't look safe."

"It's okay. Come."

Luffy carefully put a foot on the slope and grinned when she hadn't slipped up. She made several more steps.

"Come, come."

Suddenly the little raven lost her balance. With a panicked scream, she tumbled forward, sliding down the slope. The small stones and rock shards left small, bleeding bruises all over her body.

The man's ghost let out a loud, cruel laugh as Luffy desperately tried to catch anything and stop her descent into the seawater below. "It really was worth the trouble! I hate kids! Even after death, I could get rid of at least of one of you demons!" he shouted in glee.

The black wings sprouted from Luffy's back as she transformed into her fruit's half-form. With the help of talons as sharp as knives, she managed to slow the slide and push herself into the air. The raven caught a glimpse of the ghost sneering hatefully at her before a strong wind unexpectedly grabbed her and tossed aside. She clenched her teeth in pain as the feeling of her wings almost being ripped off surged through her.

Luffy was not strong enough to fight against that kind of wind. It carried her through the air and then suddenly swatted the little raven into the rocky cliff. Pain pierced her head and the left side of her face. Luffy barely registered the warm liquid spreading on her skin and getting into her eye as she fell down, unable to hold her wings out anymore.

The water was cold. It was the first thing Luffy thought when she smashed into the sea. The second thing she noticed was that sea surface was as beautiful looking from underwater as it was from above. The third thing that came to her mind was that she was going to die.

A thought crossed her tired mind as Luffy sunk deeper and deeper into the dark abyss, 'Dad will be sad.'

* * *

 **A/N**

Before anyone will start complaining about my Devil Fruit, I want to say that this fruit is based on various myths and legends from different cultures about crows and ravens. If there will be any interest in it, I can tell more in later chapters.

I hope you enjoyed the beginning of yet another story of mine! Please, tell me what you think about it x)


	2. Chapter 2

**English is not my first language, but fear not because betareading and final touches was done by stanleyman!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

* * *

As Luffy slowly emerged from the darkness of the unconsciousness to awareness, the first thing she felt was pain. Her head throbbed and there was a terrible stinging under her left eye. Her chest felt tight and her throat was extremely sore. Her limbs felt like they were filled with lead. She could even feel a dull phantom pain in her wings, though she was quite sure that they were not out at the moment.

Then the little raven heard voices, only distant echoes reaching her ears. They got louder and clearer as the seconds ticked by. When Luffy managed to crack open her weighty eyelids, she finally started to understand the meaning of the words.

"The brat is waking up!"

"She's alive!"

"Don't crowd! Give them some space!"

Warm hands were gently holding her, and Luffy felt safe. It reminded her of a security of her father's embrace, and she wondered if it was her father who saved her from the depth of the ocean. She blinked several times, trying to get rid of a milky fog, obscuring her vision.

"I think there are some stone shards stuck in her cheek wound," the man who held her commented, and the girl realized that it wasn't her father. "Haig, let's take her in your office so that you could take care of that."

The raven focused her gaze on the speaker and the face slowly swam into view. Immediately, her eyes fixed onto the stranger's hair, still dripping with water. It was crimson red.

Luffy's brain short-circuited. The whole world completely disappeared from her sight. The only thing what was left was the color red as it slowly engulfed the little raven's mind, dragging horrible memories of the future from the deepest layers of her psyche. She went rigid as panic and fear seeped in every inch of her body. Images of fire consuming everything it touched and of _that_ _person_ murdering her precious people flashed before her eyes, completely overwhelming her sanity.

 _He_ was in front of her. The Red Man from her visions.

Luffy screamed, flailing her arms and legs, trying to get away. While thrashing around, she unconsciously slipped into her Devil Fruit's half form. The dull phantom ache she felt before suddenly struck in full force, and the girl almost blacked out as hot searing pain shot through her black feathered wings.

Sharp talons scratched the man who had tried to calm the little raven down, and he let her go. Luffy dropped on the wooden floor, and seized the opportunity to quickly crawl away, dragging her hurt wings, which hung uselessly at her sides. The girl wildly looked around, but there was no escape route – she was on the ship in the middle of the sea.

"Dad…" Luffy sniffled as tears started to roll down her cheeks. "I'm scared… Where are you, dad?!"

Suddenly, a person flickered into existence right in front of the terrified raven and instantly cackled darkly. "Your dad is not here, demon," he hissed, malice dripping from every word. "I'm gonna take good care of you!"

Luffy flinched away from him, falling on her rear. She stared at the dead person who had lured her on the cliff earlier. Her face was pale as a paper sheet, her eyes wide with fear. Tears were still streaming down as uncontrollable trembles shook her small frame.

All of a sudden, another figure appeared between the girl and the malicious spirit. A Long coat fluttered in the wind and even if it was a dark red color, Luffy didn't feel frightened. For some reason, the stranger's broad back brought a sense of safety.

"Begone, you evil scum!" the voice of the person in red coat boomed loudly, full of an authority which couldn't be easily brushed off.

The ghost shrieked and vanished. The person in red turned around and looked down at the winged child, who stared back at him. His face looked fierce with keen piercing eyes and long black, slightly curled at ends moustache under a dark red pirate hat with Jolly Roger.

Surprisingly, Luffy's mouth stretched into a big awed smile. "Your moustache is so cool!" she cheered, tears already drying on her cheeks.

The man grinned wide and bright. He squatted down in front of the girl and asked, "So, you really can see me?"

"Yeah."

"Is that a power of your Devil Fruit?"

Luffy nodded. "Th-Thank you for helping me," she stuttered, the situation catching up with her once again and she sniffled. "I-I was so scared…"

"No need to be scared, little girl," the man assured. "You're safe on this ship."

The raven tried to wipe tears away, but winced when her hand touched her left cheek. "B-But, Moustache-ossan, the R-Red Man…"

The man hummed, stroking his chin in thought. "Are you sure that the brat is the same man you're so afraid of?" he inquired. "He might party a bit too much and sing totally off key, but he's not a bad person. He also was the one who saved you from drowning."

Luffy blinked at him owlishly, then turned to stare at the group of men behind her.

The red-haired stranger had his head clasped between his hands, a desperate expression etched on his scarred face. "I scared her so much she's gone crazy!" he yelled, his tone panicky. "What should I do now?!"

"Calm down, captain," said a rotund guy in green clothes and a piece of meat in his one hand. "It's not a good time to panic!"

Luffy's gaze became fixed on the meat, and her stomach growled, demanding food.

"What are you saying?! Can't you see that she's talking with nothing but a thin air?!"

"I don't think that's the case," chimed in a stranger with long black hair tied up into a low ponytail, and a cigarette between his lips. He was looking straight at the little raven, assessing every detail. "That strange mask appeared with her Devil Fruit transformation, so my guess is that it's not a simple Zoan type."

"Huh?" The red-haired captain also glanced at the kid. His brown eyes collided with a set of pale blue ones, and they stared at each other for a few moments.

"Ah! You're right, Moustache-ossan," Luffy uttered quietly. "He's definitely not him."

"Move, you bastards!" A man with loosely waved dirty blonde hair and a hairband across his forehead pushed his way through the crowd and grinned smugly, jabbing a thumb at his own chest. "Leave this matter to the professional!"

"Professional?" the others echoed in confusion.

"Oh, right, you have a kid of similar age, don't you?"

"That's right! I left my beautiful wife and my baby boy back at home because the sea and the black flag were calling to me! Even if I miss them, I don't regret answering this call! My heart's gonna always belong to this majestic blue gem and my soul will always be free under the skull and crossbones!"

Luffy giggled, and the blonde smiled softly at her.

"You see?" He motioned at the girl and cockily lifted his chin up. "The power of being a daddy!"

"Are you sure she's not laughing because you're an idiot?" someone suggested, causing the rest of them burst into laughter while the blonde objected with a miffed, "Oi!"

Luffy sniggered again. "Shishishishi! You're so funny!"

"I'm Yasopp," the man introduced himself after he crouched down in front of the little raven. "Can you tell me your name?"

"I'm Luffy!"

"So, tell me, Luffy, with whom you were talking a few moments ago?"

"The dead person," she replied without skipping a beat, then grinned innocently.

Yasopp was taken aback by her answer. "The… dead person?"

"You mean a ghost?" the black-haired man asked.

"Uh huh," Luffy confirmed with a firm nod. "Moustache-ossan is so cool!"

"Does he have another name?"

The raven looked up and back over her right shoulder. After a moment, a frown creased her face. "Gold Roger?" she said slowly, then paused and tried again, "Gol… D. Roger?" Luffy didn't notice the absolute shocked expressions settling on everyone's faces, because she was still looking at the man visible only to her. "Shishishishi! I have a 'D' in my name, too!" she stated cheerily before facing a bunch of strangers again, completely unbothered by the earthshaking revelations she just blurted out. "So, who are you guys?"

"Uh… We…" Yasopp mumbled. "We're–"

"MARINES!" a loud shout from a crow's nest interrupted the blonde.

The man shook his head and denied, "No, no, we're not marines, we're–"

"Marine ships coming off the starboard quarter!" the lookout man specified. "Six battleships in total!"

"What?! Six battleships?!" the red-haired man yelled in surprise, his gaze quickly falling back onto the injured child. "Yasopp, take the girl inside the ship, we can't let them see her with us! Haig, take care of her injuries! The rest of you prepare to run away!"

"Aye, aye, captain!" the crew chorused.

"But we need to return Luffy back home," the rotund guy reminded.

"Orman, how's the Log Pose?" the captain inquired.

"Still pointing at this island."

The redhead nodded. "Good. We'll swing around once we've shaken those marines off," he decided.

Yasopp reached for the kid, and once he saw no signs of fear or objections, he gently picked her up. He carefully pressed the girl to his chest, making sure not to touch the wings that still hung limply at her sides.

"Wait!" Luffy suddenly exclaimed, gripping the man's shirt in a death grip. "I want that!" She pointed at something with her other hand. "Can I have it?"

Yasopp followed the direction of her finger and raised an eyebrow because it was pointing at his chubby friend. "You want Lucky Roo?"

"The meat!" Luffy huffed in exasperation. "I want the meat!"

"Meat?" Yasopp snorted, amused by the antics of the kid. "Oi, Lucky Roo, the little lady wants your meat!"

"EEEEH?! But this is my last piece!"

"But I'm hungryyyyy~!" Luffy whined, staring at him with big wet eyes.

The guy sagged in surrender instantly. "Fine, here," he conceded, extending his meat to the girl who rewarded him with the biggest and sunniest grin he'd ever seen in his life.

* * *

Luffy was chewing on the bone, savoring the small remaining scraps of meat. Her cheek wound was already taken care of and now had a bright pink bandage on. Haig, the ginger head doctor with a spade tattoo above his left eye, said that it would probably leave a scar, but the little raven wasn't really dithered by the news.

The doctor was now checking her wings, and the girl winced every time he tried to lift them up. But she hadn't voiced her discomfort or that she was in pain, instead choosing just to stare into an empty space in front of her with wide, curious eyes.

Yasopp had a deep frown on his face. He had tried to get the kid's attention earlier, but she just shushed him. There were several explosions outside, shaking the ship, but even that apparently didn't distract the kid from whatever she was doing.

"Whoa!" Luffy suddenly exclaimed, an excited grin stretching her mouth into D-shape. "That's so cool, Moustache-ossan! What happened then?"

Yasopp and Haig shared a baffled glance. The doctor shrugged. Whatever the ghost was telling to the girl, it helped to keep her still while he examined her wings, which appeared to be only strained and not broken.

"How's the brat?"

All three looked at the door to see the red-haired man who now had a straw hat sitting on the top of his head coming into the room that served as an infirmary.

"Wings' muscles are strained and will need a few days resting. Other than that, she's fine," Haig replied to his captain.

Luffy scrunched her face like she was tasting something very sour and mumbled, "The wind was too strong. It hurt."

"Is that how you ended up falling into the sea?" the redhead asked.

A scowl on the girl's face deepened. "The dead person tried to kill me. He called me a 'demon'… Why would he do that?" She was now staring at the adults, her eyes filled with pure innocence as she eagerly waited for an answer. But they stayed silent, unable to form a reply so quickly. Luffy snapped her head to the side when she heard the man in red coat call her name.

"Not all people are good people. The same can be said about spirits," Roger explained patiently. "And sometimes people die with regrets. That feeling festers like an infected wound until it corrupts the very essence of the human being and warps it into evil, malicious thing."

The raven didn't say a word, letting those words sink deep into her heart. "Do you have any regrets?" she asked finally.

The man smiled sadly at her. "Unfortunately, I do. I died with a smile, but what I've heard after my death, made me restless."

A terrified expression flashed through Luffy's features, but it was replaced by the determined one a moment later. "What is it? I want to help! I won't let Moustache-ossan turn into an evil spirit!"

Yasopp opened his mouth to say something, but the captain stopped him by putting his hand on his shoulder. The blonde glanced at him, and the redhead shook his head.

"My wife died, and I don't know what happened to my child," Roger said, his gaze taking a distant but a fond look. "I want to find my child."

"I'll help you find your family! I can talk with them for you!" Luffy declared, her whole being radiating a great resolve.

The old ghost grinned at the little girl. A feeling of hope blossomed in his chest after so many years of empty wishes for a solution. "Then, I'll put my trust in you," he replied, and Luffy beamed at him. "I asked an old friend, vice admiral of the Navy by the name Monkey D. Garp, to take care of my kid."

"Monkey D. Garp?" the raven echoed incredulously before realization hit her like a ton of bricks and she shrieked in alarm, "Grandpa Garp?!" Luffy's hair stood at the end and she got goosebumps all over her body from a mere thought about growing under constant grandpa's care. It was more than enough for her to have a few short meetings with the old man and she always came back from each one covered in bumps and bruises. The determination to find that unfortunate kid flared even stronger and engulfed the little raven's whole mind like a wildfire. "We need to find him! We need to save him! Nobody can survive grandpa's Fists of Love for so long unscathed!"

"Whoa, easy there, lassie," Haig said, holding Luffy in place because she almost fell from the examination table from a sudden erratic movement. "Don't work yourself into another panic attack."

"Sorry…" she mumbled, taking a deep breath to calm herself.

"You're Garp the Fist's granddaughter?" Yasopp formed a question when his brain had recovered from a short shutdown.

"Huh?" Luffy looked at both men, blinking in surprise as if only now remembering that they were here too. "Shishishishi! Yup! My full name's Monkey D. Luffy!" she introduced, grinning from ear to ear.

"Dahahahaha! What a cheeky brat," the redhead laughed. "I'm Shanks, the captain of the Red-Hair Pirates." He lifted his straw hat in greeting and flashed a charming smile. "Nice to meet you, Luffy."

The girl cocked her head to the side. "Pirates? I'm on the pirate ship?"

"Yeah, but there is no need to be scar–"

"Awesome!" she cheered loudly, startling the men around her into silence. "Moustache-ossan was telling me stories about pirates! They are so cool!"

"So, you really can see Gold Roger, the Pirate King?" Yasopp asked. He still had a hard time to believe that the ghost of the Pirate King was wondering their ship, or that their ship was haunted altogether.

"What's a Pirate King?"

Shanks grinned. "The Pirate King is the strongest pirate in the world and the owner of the legendary treasure known as One Piece which resides in Raftel, the island at the end of the Grand Line."

Luffy peered at the redhead with stars in her eyes. "Strongest in the world?" she whispered, shooting a brief glance at the empty space on her left. "Even stronger than my dad?"

"Well…" Shanks scratched his head, trying to guess what kind of father this little girl had. He had actually never heard about Garp having children. Maybe she was an adopted granddaughter? "Probably," he decided on telling her.

Luffy hummed in thought. "If I want to protect dad, I need to be stronger than him, so…" She paused, a huge grin splitting her face in two. "It means I need to become the Pirate King!"

* * *

The next few days flew by quickly. Luffy spent most of her time bouncing around the ship, chatting, playing, and having fun with all the crewmembers. She was such a natural charmer, an energetic ball of sunshine, that she had everyone wrapped around her little finger in no time.

When the little raven was nowhere to be seen, the crew would find her sitting somewhere, usually high above the deck in one of the crow's nests, gawking at an empty space in front of her with eyes full of curiosity and eagerness. Everyone knew that at those moments, Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King himself, was telling the girl stories from his wild adventures across the world.

* * *

Benn lowered the binoculars and clicked his tongue in annoyance. It had been four days already, and marine battleships hadn't left yet. They kept their vigilant positions, encircling the whole island. There was no way to sneak through them without being seen. The Red-Hair Pirates were already risking notice, lingering on the edges of their vision for so long, but all of them wanted to see Luffy back home safe and sound.

A flap of wings drew the first mate's attention and he turned around. Luffy perched on the railing of the crow's nest with unchildish grace and grinned brightly at him.

"I thought Haig said no flying yet," Benn chided.

"He said that I can glide!" the girl responded, a cute pout adorning her features. "I glided from up there." She pointed at the highest crow's nest on the main mast.

"Is that so." The pirate smiled and reached to ruffle Luffy's hair. "Roger was telling you stories again?"

"Shishishishi! Yep!" the raven replied, giddy with excitement. "I love stories! I love pirates! And I'll definitely become the Pirate King!"

Benn chuckled, even though the worry with a pang of guilt gnawed at his insides. Whoever Luffy's father was, he would certainly want to kick their collective asses for installing such an idea in his little girl's head.

"Ne, Benn," Luffy called, suddenly looking sad and wistful. "Why Shanks doesn't like me?"

The first mate blinked in confusion. "Why do you think that Shanks doesn't like you?" On the contrary, the captain of the Red-Hair Pirates was charmed by the marvelous child and her smiles and sunshine personality, like the rest of them.

The girl's eyebrows knitted together. "He avoids me and when he talks with me he always keeps a distance."

Unexpectedly, Benn burst into merry laughter.

Luffy crossed her arms in front of her and puffed her cheeks, displeased by the adult's behavior. "It's not funny!" she huffed. "I like Shanks! I want to be friends with him."

"I'm sorry, Luffy," the man said, brushing off the tears from laughing so hard. "The captain does that because he doesn't want to scare you." When he got only a blank, bewildered stare in response, Benn explained, "The day when he rescued you from the sea, you freaked out in his arms, remember?"

"Ah!" Luffy gasped. "But that was just a misunderstanding! I thought he was the Red Man from my visions of the future, but he wasn't."

The pirate narrowed his eyes. "Visions of the future?"

The little raven suddenly paled, slapping a hand on her mouth. She recalled her father telling her to never ever reveal that specific power of her Devil Fruit to the other people. "I didn't say anything! You misheard me!" she exclaimed, jumping on her feet. "That's right! So, just forget about it! I'm going to find Shanks now." Luffy's black wings spread out and she pushed herself from the railing.

Benn observed her easily maneuvering around the ship in a glide and landing straight on top of the red-haired captain. Shanks' surprised yelp made him snigger before his expression twisted into a contemplative frown. This slip-up confirmed their fears about the Devil Fruit the girl possessed.

The first mate of the Red-Hair Pirates rubbed the back of his neck and sighed tiredly, thinking about how this whole situation became even more complicated. He needed to inform his captain about it immediately.

* * *

"She really had said that?"

"Yeah," Benn affirmed as he flicked the ash from his cigarette over the side of the ship.

Shanks groaned in frustration. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "So, it means that her fruit _is_ that accursed one. Dammit!"

It was an early evening of the same day, although the gloomy gray sky absorbed all the sunlight, making it much darker than it was supposed to be. The wind was also starting to pick up, promising a storm to roll in at any moment.

"Soul Raven, huh?" Benn muttered thoughtfully. "I've never expected to meet its user in my lifetime."

"The Government will go crazy if they know that it emerged again and such a young girl ate it. They would never leave her alone," Shanks said, pacing back and forth, agitated. "And if they get their hands on her… We can't let that happen."

"What you want to do, captain?"

"First, we need to inform Luffy's father about the danger she's in and see if he can protect her. If not–" the redhead cut himself off, biting his lower lip. After a moment, he heaved a heavy sigh. "I don't even know. Let's meet the man and see." He glowered at the speck in the distant horizon. "What the hell are those marines doing here? Don't tell me they already know about Luffy."

"Speaking of Luffy…" Benn trailed off, a small smile tugging his mouth's edges upwards. "Heads up."

"What do you–? Aah!" Shanks let out a surprised cry when an unexpected weight landed on his shoulders and giggled into his ear.

Luffy caught the straw hat that flew up and plopped it back on Shanks' head, putting her arms on the top of it and leaning on them with a huge grin plastered across her face.

"Luffy! Stop sneaking up on me like that!" the captain fumed.

"Shishishishi! If I keep scaring you, it would mean that you can't scare me and we can be friends!"

"LUFFY!" an angry yell suddenly boomed across the ship, startling everyone. The little raven winced. "No flying or gliding! The wind is currently too strong for you!"

"Sorry, Haig!" Luffy chirped back innocently.

"Captain, watch her!" the doctor ordered and stomped away, grumbling something under his breath.

There was a flash of lightning on the horizon, somewhere above the island, soon followed by a rumble of thunder rolling throughout the whole dome. Everyone looked up. The storm was already over their heads with more and more ominous clouds covering the sky.

"This storm feels a bit weird," Shanks commented, more to himself than to anyone else.

"It looks like one of dad's," Luffy added, her gaze fixing on the distance, where another lightning struck down, and the thunder shook the whole sky again.

Before Shanks or Benn could ask what she was talking about, a lookout in the crow's nest yelled, "That lightning struck the marine battleship near the island!"

Happy cheers exploded on the pirate ship, rooting for the storm.

"Uh oh," Luffy suddenly muttered, drawing a worried glance from Benn. "Dad is probably furious."

The captain slightly turned his head so that he could look at the girl, still sitting on his shoulders. "What do you–?"

"MARINES!" a yell echoed from above. "A battleship off the starboard beam!"

"One more battleship?!" Yasopp shouted back. "Just how many of those the Navy are sending here?!"

"Someone is flying towards us from it!"

Just as the last word of the warning reached the crew's ears, a figure in a familiar white and blue uniform landed on the galley's roof. "I'm the vice admiral Nereon!" the stranger proclaimed, almost lazily scanning the pirates in front of him. A scornful sneer slowly distorted his features. "So, you're the pirate scum the Marineford ordered me to deal with. What are the Red-Hair Pirates doing lurking around this island?" His gaze fell on the winged girl on the captain's shoulders and he paused, caught by surprise of such sight. "Who's the brat?"

Shanks gritted his teeth as his hand gripped the handle of his sword. The others also prepared for the battle. Now that the vice admiral had seen Luffy, he was not allowed to leave the ship alive.

All of a sudden, an extremely strong onset of wind slammed into the side of the ship with such force that it almost capsized. Shanks' arms instantly flew up to grab Luffy, as he slid across the deck. He hit the railing with the girl safely pressed against his chest by one of his arms while the other held his straw hat in place.

When the ship stopped bobbing, the redhead sighed in relief. He looked up at the spot where the enemy was standing previously and froze.

A tall man clad in green coat stood on top of the vice admiral, one of his feet on the man's head pushing it further into the splintered wood of the galley's roof. The cold, steely, unrelenting eyes pinned everyone in place with a bloodcurdling glare from under the hood, and it seemed as though the pirates were staring into the eyes of the colossal-sized Sea King and not of a fellow human being.

Lightning struck nearby, illuminating the dark sky behind the stranger, and his shadow fell over them, devouring their last remaining will to fight against this frightening persona.

The stranger's voice was as thunderous as the splitting rumble that shook the heaven itself high above the murky clouds.

"Where is my daughter?!"

* * *

 **A/N**

Totally badass Dragon? Yup! Not feeling bad portraying him like that at all ^^

A piece of information about Soul Raven fruit:  
An idea of the ability to see and communicate with ghosts came from various myths and legends of different cultures from all over the world where ravens and crows are regarded as birds closely connected with Netherworld. In some legends, they are guides who lead dead souls to the other side. In others, they can return the spirit back to the land of the living if it has unfinished business.

Also, did you know that ravens can spot a cheater in their midst and will shun one another for being unfair? :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Betawork done by stanleyman.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

* * *

Shanks was not a coward. He had grown up on the Pirate King's ship, and had seen more battles and spilled more blood than any other person on his current crew. He had confidence in his own fighting skills, in his Haki, and in his men. He never shied from a good scuffle, accepting any challenge worth his time. He was a pirate, and an infamous captain to boot. So, no, Shanks was definitely not a coward.

But, damn, now he felt dread filling his entire being to the brim.

And daughter? They didn't have this man's daughter. They weren't that kind of pirates who went around kidnapping girls and women. So, why was this terrifying person on their ship, demanding to know where was his daughter?!

Luffy suddenly squirmed in Shanks' arms. With a joyful "Daaaaad!" she pushed away from him and shot straight to the green-clad man.

The redhead could only stare, stunned.

 _Oh_. They did have this man's daughter after all.

"Well, shit," Yasopp's remark perfectly summarized everyone's thoughts. The sniper nervously watched the stranger, his hand tightening around his pistol, a bead of sweat sliding down the side of his face.

Luffy slammed into her father's broad chest, immediately winding her arms around his neck and her wings around his shoulders.

Dragon's hands came up to embrace his little girl into a gentle but tight hug. "Where have you been, Luffy?" he asked quietly into her ear. "I was so worried."

"Sorry, dad," she murmured. "The dead person called me a 'demon' and he… he tried to kill me." Dragon scowled under his hood, his dark eyes burning with barely contained rage, but he suppressed it the moment Luffy leaned back and beamed. "But Moustache-ossan chased him away!"

The Revolutionary leader's gaze quickly swept through the pirate crew below, taking note of every person that had anything resembling facial hair.

Meanwhile, Luffy's attention moved to Roger's ghost, who leaned closer and squinted at her father's face. He stroked his chin, contemplating something. "I remember this brat," he finally said, a smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth. "He grew up into a fine man indeed."

"Eh? You know dad, Moustache-ossan?"

Dragon glanced back at the little raven and frowned at the fact that she was staring at an empty spot next to them, before instantly realizing that he was looking for that person in a wrong place. Or, more precisely, wrong realm.

"Yeah," Roger replied, his smirk widening into a grin. "I saved this little rascal's life once."

Luffy's jaw dropped. She glanced at Dragon, then back at the ghost, at Dragon, at the ghost… Her mind worked a mile a minute, thoughts tumbling over each other in a rush. It wasn't like she didn't trust Shanks when he said that the Moustache-ossan, the Pirate King, was stronger than her dad, but she kept her doubts.

Luffy believed that her dad was the strongest in the world.

Cyrus once told her that he could wipe out kingdoms if he wanted to. Her young mind couldn't really comprehend such carnage, but that sounded grand and all kind of awesome and super strong and...

...and he was saved by the Pirate King.

Dragon watched wearily as the huge toothy grin broke on his girl's face, her unnaturally pale blue eyes – Dragon was still getting used to her eye color change during her Devil Fruit transformation – alight with joy he had never seen before. His fatherly instincts went overdrive and his stomach dropped as the bad, dreadful feeling overwhelmed him. Any moment now, Luffy would say or do something that would cause him a headache for the weeks to come.

"That means you're stronger than dad!" the girl cheered loudly.

Dragon paused. "Who's stronger than me?"

"Moustache-ossan!" she replied, her wings flaring in excitement. "Shanks said that the Pirate King was stronger than you–"

Shanks slapped a hand across his face for being thrown to the wolves so easily. His crew took a subtle step away from him, shooting him pitying glances, and he wanted to punch those jerks. Maybe he would have if Benn wouldn't have patted him on his shoulder and gave a reassuring smile.

"–and Moustache-ossan himself said that he saved you once, that means that he really is stronger, and if I want to keep my promise to Mom, I have to be stronger, and–"

Dragon grimaced as he listened Luffy rambling. The puzzle pieces slipped into their appropriate places. The Pirate King. _Moustache-ossan himself_. _Saved you once_.

"–I heard so many stories, and I want to have amazing adventures with my nakama too, and also find One Piece, and, and…" The girl ran out of breath at that moment, but she quickly gulped a mouthful, reared her head and yelled for the whole world to hear, "AND I'M GONNA BECOME THE PIRATE KING!"

As his daughter burst into a boisterous laughter, Dragon could only stare at her, rendered speechless by her proclamation, his mind drawing a blank. Because… _what_? "That old coot is here?" was the first question that left his mouth.

This time Roger bellowed with laughter. "Becoming a ghost was so worth it! Never imagined to see this serious guy so flustered!" he exclaimed giddily, then flashed a thumbs-up to Luffy and winked. "Good job, kid. You'll make a fine Pirate King!"

"Shishishishi!"

With a heavy sigh, Dragon lifted a hand to massage his temples. Forget a headache for weeks, this one promised to last at least a few years longer.

The Vice Admiral chose that moment to wake up, squirming under the revolutionist's feet. The latter climbed off of him and the Marine managed to pull his battered mug out of the splintered wood. Before he could turn his head and peek at his assailant, however, a powerful gust of wind swept him away from the ship and into an open sea. The Vice Admiral flailed his arms as he was hurled through the air, but then lightning suddenly flashed across the dark sky straight into him, a boom of thunder following right after.

"Why is Roger here?" Dragon asked in a tired voice, paying no mind to the smoldering body falling into the sea water.

Luffy blinked at him, seemingly unbothered by the unfortunate Marine's demise as well. "He's looking for his son," she said seriously. "And I promised to help find him."

Dragon's eyes narrowed. He remembered reading in Cyrus' report that sometimes intentions of the spirits could leak into Soul Raven user's mind because they were so attuned to the other side of the veil. Strong-willed ghosts like Gol D. Roger were dangerous in particular, especially when Luffy was still so young and thus easily influenced.

"I can't believe that you would ask Grandpa to look after your son," Luffy huffed, oblivious to her father's grim pondering. "Do you want him stupid or something?"

Roger smiled sheepishly. "I, uh, I was desperate and it seemed like a good idea at that time," he reasoned. "I didn't know that Garp was so violent with children."

"Silly Moustache-ossan…" the girl muttered with a shake of her head. Then she looked back at her father, her expression tight with all seriousness the child of her age could muster. "Dad," she said, "we need to find and save that boy from Grandpa." She shuddered as she uttered the next words, "From his Fists of Love."

"More like Fists of Doom…" Dragon grumbled under his breath without thinking. As he noticed Luffy staring at him strangely, he cleared his throat, and spoke before she could understand what his words implied, "But my question is...why is Roger on _this_ ship?"

"Why?" the raven echoed, tilting her head to the side curiously like a little bird she was. After a moment, she turned back to the Pirate King. "Why are you on this ship?"

* * *

The pirates stared dumbly at the spot where the Vice-Admiral had fallen after being hit by a lightning, shocked by this strange turn of events.

"Ah!" Shanks gasped suddenly, turning around to peer at another side. "What about that battleship?"

Everyone also looked at the side where Marine's ship was supposed to be coming… and blinked in surprise.

The battleship was barely visible far on the horizon, lightning lashing around it like angry snakes. It seemed that while the pirate crew had been preoccupied with the stranger, the wind had carried their ship farther from the island and the raging storm to where the sea was relatively calm, free of any Marine dogs.

"They, um, had problems even before that man appeared here," the lookout called down from the crow's nest, furrowing his brow. "I think I saw a tornado tearing them apart."

"Tornado?!" the crew shouted in alarm.

"Sounds like the work of a Devil Fruit user," Benn mused.

"Wind, most likely," Shanks agreed, looking up at the stranger again.

Right at that moment, Luffy twisted around in her father's arms and pointed straight at him. "That's because Shanks has his hat!" she declared, then paused, listening. "Moustache-ossan gave him that hat to keep it safe." After a few nods, the girl added, "And he did a really bad job so far."

Shanks broke into cold sweat. While he truly treasured his straw hat and tried to keep it as safe as possible, accidents did happen, and sometimes, well, sometimes he was kind of, maybe, just maybe, a bit too drunk to notice.

He was a pirate, dammit! Pirates partied and had fun! And how the heck was he supposed to know that his captain's ghost was hitching a ride on his ship and saw everything?!

"He messes it up in fights while drunk, and sometimes spills sake on it," Luffy continued, staring at the redhead disapprovingly. "Once he even lost it!"

Shanks gulped, now sweating bullets. Like he said, accidents did happen. "That last incident wasn't my fault!" he exclaimed in defiance and then added lamely with a pout, "Not… entirely."

"Shishishishi!"

Dragon heaved another sigh, sweeping his hand across his face. Then he glanced toward the island and scowled as his sharp eyes caught the sight of several Marine ships moving their direction, trying to break from the storm. "Luffy," he called, getting his little raven's attention. "Are these the people who've been taking care of you these past few days?"

Luffy beamed. "Uh huh! Shanks saved me when I fell into the sea! And Haig fixed me! And Yassop told me stories! And Lucky Roo gave me his meat! And Benn–"

The man's lips twitched up. "Okay, okay," he interrupted the bubbly ramble with a ruffle of the girl's permanently disheveled black mop. She had her hair cut in that it-wouldn't-make-her-look-like-a-boy-but-wouldn't-get-in-her-face-while-flying way with bangs hugging her round face from both sides.

Luffy swatted his hand with an indignant, "Dad!" She pushed her lips forward into an expression of petulant annoyance as she struggled to get her hair under some control to no avail.

Dragon chuckled, then jumped down from the galley's roof and landed smoothly in front of the pirate crew. They all tensed, but it was more unconscious response than a sign of them thinking about attacking him. He dipped his head once in respect. "I express my gratitude for looking after my daughter."

"It was our pleasure." Shanks stepped forward, grinning. "I'm Shanks, the captain of the Red-Hair Pirates."

"Dragon," the man grunted in return, his eyes wondering to the storm again. A deep frown crossed his face as he noticed one of the ships already sailing their way. He shifted Luffy on his other arm and pushed the freed one under his coat, searching.

"Are they after her?" Shanks asked quietly.

Dragon's eyes snapped back to him, his gaze sharp and intimidating, full of protective ferocity. "No," he replied curtly, pulling out a small Den Den Mushi. It clucked a few times after waking as if connecting through another snail and then spoke, "Dragon-san."

"What's your status, Cyrus?"

"It'll take us at least another two days to go around this blockade," the speaker on another side growled. "I can't believe that we're stuck here while Luffy-chan is who knows there!"

"I'm with Shanks!" Luffy chimed in cheerfully while Dragon kept glowering at the approaching Marine vessel.

The Den Den Mushi's eyes widened, expressing the surprise of the revolutionist. "Luffy-chan!" More happy shouting could be heard in the background. "I'm so glad to hear that you're okay and with Dragon-san!" Cyrus abruptly paused, and the snail's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Who's Shanks?"

"Shanks is my friend! Right, Shanks?"

"Dahahahaha! Of course!"

"Oh, oh, Cyrus!" Luffy babbled excitedly, not letting the man insert even a word. Her grin flared to the incredible level as she declared, "I'm gonna become the Pirate King!"

There was a pregnant silence. "…What? Wait. Wait, Luffy-chan. The Pirate King? Eh? How did that happen?!"

Luffy opened her mouth to ramble more, but her father spoke first, "Leave it for later, Cyrus. Can you go straight through the blockade?"

The Den Den Mushi cleared its throat as the revolutionist gathered his wits together. "No, sir. There are too many of them."

Dragon shot a fleeting glance at the enemy ship, then fixed Shanks with a measuring gaze, his strong features twisted into a contemplating scowl.

Understanding the man's dilemma, the pirate smiled his most calming smile. "We can help." He turned to his navigator. "How's our log pose? Did it settle for the next island already?" He got a thumbs-up as his answer. Satisfied, the captain nodded. "We can wait for you on the next island with Luffy."

Dragon held his eyes, his mind working through countless possibilities in lightning speed. This seemed to be the only way to keep his daughter completely safe and out of Navy's view. He knew Roger, and even if he wasn't that fond of the old coot, he knew that the Pirate King would have never trusted a bad person. And it seemed that Luffy liked these pirates a lot too.

"Alright," the leader of Revolutionary army sighed. "Luffy, do you mind staying with your new friends a bit longer? I need to take care of some business."

The little raven perked up, stars practically shooting out of her eyes. "Really? Can I?"

"Dragon-san…"

"It's fine, Cyrus. Go around the blockage and I'll meet you here."

"Yes, sir!"

The Den Den Mushi slumped and Dragon pushed it back into his inner pocket. His hand wasn't empty when he pulled it out, however. He unfolded a white sheet of paper, ripped it in two, and offered one half to Luffy.

The girl took it, staring at it in confusion. "What's this?"

"This, my little canary, is the way I'm going to find you, so don't lose it," he said softly.

Luffy glared at him, but the effect was lost due to her childishly puffed cheeks. "I'm not a canary! I'm the raven!" She hugged the paper possessively. "And I won't lose it!"

Dragon smiled, then carefully put her down on her feet, and gently stroked her head. "I'll see you in a few days," he affirmed.

Luffy grinned up at him. "Okay!"

"Keep her safe," he ordered the pirates, his dark glare promising death and pain and everything in between otherwise.

Before anyone could utter a reply, new powerful gale swept across the ship causing everyone to cover their eyes for protection. When they looked back up, the man was gone.

"Whew…" Yasopp breathed out, wiping his forehead. "What a scary person."

"Alright, bastards!" Shanks yelled out to his crew. "Time to move out!"

"Aye, aye, Captain!"

As everyone sprang into action, Shanks and Benn walked to where Luffy was perched on the railing, her talons keeping her safely attached to the wood as she stared at the island.

An incredulously strong gust of wind slammed into one side of the approaching Marine ship, easily overwhelming it with its power. The masts cracked, the sails were ripped from the yard arms, and the ship capsized, leaving it crippled beyond repair.

Benn whistled in appreciation. "Your father is very strong."

Luffy smirked at him. "He's the strongest," she announced proudly. "But once I become the Pirate King, I'll be stronger, and then I'll be the one who protects everyone!"

"That's so sweet and cute," Shanks teased, reaching to ruffle her hair.

The raven ducked his approaching hand and hid behind the sniggering first mate. She peeked over his side and exclaimed angrily, "I'm not cute or sweet! I'm very cool! And leave my hair alone!"

"Eh? What was that?" The redhead cupped his hand around his ear in a mocking gesture. "I think I heard a canary chirping."

"I'm not a canary, stupid Shanks! I'm the raven!"

* * *

The Red-Hair Pirates reached the next island after eight days. It was quite a small island, covered with a lush forest and framed with sandy beaches. They passed a peaceful port village, snuggled on the bank of the only river, and landed east of it.

Some of the pirates went to the village for supplies while the others prepared the beach for camping and a party. Shanks and Benn were overlooking the preparations when the angry yell came from the ship and they both winced.

"LUFFYYYYYYYYY! Get back here!"

They turned around just in time to see the little raven high in the sky suddenly stop and fold her wings. Her small body hung in the air for a split second before it fell down, heading straight to the sea below. Before Luffy could crash into the surface, her wings unfurled and the dive evened out, sending her gliding just above the waves. She dipped her fingers into the water and laughed, free and happy, leaving a trail of spray behind.

"Gah, that brat!" Shanks groaned, facepalming. "She's a menace!"

Benn cracked a tight smile around his half-bitten cigarette.

It wasn't the first time Luffy gave them near heart attacks by doing such dangerous tricks, but that didn't help to put them at ease every time they watched her practically take a suicide dive.

The first mate chuckled, finally giving up on his current smoke. "Well, she'll either die young," he said, grinding the cigarette butt into the sand. "Or become a terror on all five seas."

"Dahahahaha! With that kind of lineage it wouldn't be so shocking," the redhead admitted cheerfully. "Was a really big surprise when we figured out just who exactly her daddy is. Daughter of the Revolutionary Army's leader, granddaughter of that crazy vice-admiral, the carrier of D, together with the power of that fruit..." He put his hand on the straw hat with a wide grin stretching under it. "Her dream of becoming the Pirate King isn't that unbelievable, is it?"

"That kid's gonna be big even if she won't become the Pirate King," Benn noted.

"She'll definitely have to become stronger," Shanks uttered, suddenly very serious, a small frown etched onto his face as he observed the little raven snatching the meat from Lucky Roo and drawing him into a merry chase around the beach. "Her blood alone is enough for the World Government to start hunting her down mercilessly. Adding the Soul Raven on top of that…" He shook his head, trying to get rid of grim thoughts.

That's then Shanks noticed a person emerging from the forest. He immediately recognized that wide-brimmed black hat decorated with a large plume, a long, open black coat with no shirt underneath it, and a handle of a huge sword poking over his shoulders and head. "Just look at that," he said, a smug smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

The stranger halted as he noticed the people all over the beach. The moment the sharp gaze of his golden eyes fell on the redhead captain, he grimaced. The second later, he was already spinning on his heel and making his way back into the forest, in a pace that seemed rushed, but couldn't really be called fleeing.

Shanks' smirk widened into a sly grin. He skipped after the man and caught up with him before he could completely disappear. He draped an arm around the stranger's broad shoulders to stop him, and then poked at his side, wiggling his eyebrows. "Hey, hey, fancy meeting you here, Mihawk!" he exclaimed. "Where are you going?"

"Anywhere where you are not," the man replied coolly.

Shanks pouted. "Come on, we're old friends!"

"Sometimes even I question my life decisions."

"Don't be such a party pooper!" the exuberant pirate chided, swinging his friend around and pushing him toward his crew. "Let's get some drinks! We haven't drunk or sparred for a while! Ooi, guys! Just look who dropped in unexpectedly!"

The men looked at their captain and grins bloomed on their faces as they took in the second man. "Ooooh! Hawkeyes is here!"

"Captain, show us a good show!"

"Then we can party!"

"Dahahahaha! You bastards really wanna see it, eh?" Shanks asked as he turned to look at the older man. "What say you, Hawkeyes?"

Mihawk scowled at him, but the redhead only grinned in return.

"Hawk?"

A childish voice drew everyone's attention down. Luffy was not in her Devil Fruit form at the moment, appearing as a normal curious child, peering up at the swordsman with wide, innocent eyes.

"Are you also a bird, ossan?" she asked.

Shanks chortled behind his palm. At this point, the crew was already gathered around them, and a bunch of quiet sniggers echoed among the pirates.

Mihawk eyed the girl up and down cautiously, taking every detail into account: her wild black hair, a small fresh scar arching right under her left eye, her red, open back t-shirt and blue shorts, a small bag pendant around her neck, and her bare feet. His scowl deepened as he wondered where she came from. "I'm not a bird," he answered.

"Oh," Luffy sighed in disappointment, still gazing up at the stranger. All of a sudden, she giggled. "Shishishishi! You have very funny frownies!"

Sniggers around them intensified.

"I do not have…" Hawkeyes trailed off when all sound in the crowd died out and they all visibly leaned forward, gawking at him expectantly. "…frownies."

That did it: everyone around melted into a howl of laughter.

"Yeah, you do!" Luffy cried out, pointing her finger at his face and causing Mihawk frown even more. "Iva-chan said that you get frownies if you don't smile enough. You need to smile more, bird-ossan!"

The girl's nickname sent the pirates into another bout of mad cackling. Some of them even fell down with arms around their bellies and happy tears in their eyes.

"She called him bird-ossan!"

"He–He said–He said frownies!"

Mihawk kept staring at the child, his golden eyes narrowed and brow furrowed. "I see that the absence of intelligence is running in your family, Shanks," he noted finally.

Luffy got distracted by the black-haired, yellow-eyed girl's ghost that was quietly chuckling beside the swordsman until now, suddenly kicked him to the leg with an angry yell, "Don't be so mean to children, you good for nothing! I raised you better than this!" However, her attack just phased through the solid body of a live person. She folded her arms and let out an irritated huff.

Shanks spluttered in denial, "She's not mine! We're just looking after her! I'm still too young to have kids!" He smirked, puffing his chest out. "And besides, no woman in this world could ever tie me down! Dahahahaha!"

And again Luffy was sidetracked by Roger calling her name. She listened what he had to say, nodded, then turned back to the laughing pirate captain and recited, "What about that barmaid you left in the East Blue?"

Shanks instantly choked on air and started coughing.

His crew roared in mirth. "She got you there, Captain!"

"Hahahahaha! That's what you deserve, you damn womanizer!" the ghost girl laughed at the redhead's misfortune. Suddenly, she stopped and her eyes widened in realization before turning to the younger girl. "Did you just repeat what that old man said?"

"How do you know about her, Luffy?" Benn asked curiously.

Luffy gave a firm nod to the ghost and then replied to the first mate, "It was Moustache-ossan who asked about her."

"Ah, that explains it."

"Damn Captain… Always picking on me," Shanks grumbled under his breath, fixing his straw hat in an attempt to salvage his pride. "Anyway," he said, a smile appearing on his face again as he thrumed fingers on his sword's handle. "How about that dance, Mihawk?"

This time, the swordsman couldn't stop his lips twitching up. "I hope you didn't get rusty during your vacation in the weakest sea," he teased, reaching for the huge black sword that he carried on his back.

The pirates quickly scattered to the sides, giving the space for two opponents. Benn ushered Luffy to the safe spot.

"Why are they fighting?" the girl asked, worry imprinting itself on her features.

"Don't worry, Luffy," Benn said softly. "They're just going to spar. They always go at it when they meet." He smiled when the kid relaxed at his assurance.

Two swordsmen clashed. A shockwave burst from the impact of their blades, and they both grinned before jumping away from each other. After a moment, they closed in again, their strikes, parries, and dodges only a blur of motion.

Luffy observed the match with wide eyes. "Wow…" she whispered.

"Quite strong, aren't they?" the ghost girl said with a lopsided grin as she came to stand beside the little raven. "My little brother and my best friend."

Luffy blinked. "Little brother?"

"Yeah, my dear moronic little brother," she responded quietly. Her fiery golden eyes softened and her grin smoothed out into a tender smile as she watched the two men. "I haven't aged from the moment I died, you know, so I guess it might seem strange, but… Well, I promised to take care of him when he was just a baby, so that's what I'm doing. Even if I can't help him in any way, I'll still keep looking after him forever and ever."

Luffy stared at her, awed.

"Do you have any siblings?" the ghost girl asked.

The raven shook her head no. "How do I get them?" she inquired, her orbs shining with enthusiasm.

The ghost chuckled. "You should ask your parents to gift you one. Being a big sister is great!" she replied. "I'm Dracule Mijay, by the way. Nice to meetcha ya!"

"Monkey D. Luffy!"

"Can I call you Lu-chan?"

The raven beamed at her new friend. "Sure, Jay-chan!"

"Just call her Midget, Luffy," Roger suddenly chimed in cheerfully, appearing behind them.

Mijay twitched, then rounded on him with her fist raised. "Shut up, old man!" she yelled out, sending a punch toward him.

The Pirate King laughed as he avoided it. "Everyone calls you that," he reasoned, sidestepping the next attack, and the one after it…

"At least I can hit you for that! Stay still!"

Luffy shifted her gaze from two bickering spirits back to the sparring swordsmen.

Brother. All that devotion and fondness coming from Mijay filled her being and made her inside light up with warmth and love like nothing she had ever felt before.

Luffy really wanted to have her own little brother now. Having two would be even better, she decided.

Unknowingly to her, on the backwater island in the East Blue, two boys suddenly sneezed in unison. They both lost their balance and missed punches that they threw at each other, instead bashing their foreheads in full force that left them sprawled on the ground in a double knockdown.

* * *

 **A/N**

So, there was a few things I wanted to talk about.  
1\. As you may have noticed this is a complete AU. We don't know much about Revolutionary Army, so I'm making this up. Whatever will be revealed in canon, probably won't be present here unless it will tie into my plans. I know how I want to see this story's Luffy, and I'll be moving the storyline accordingly.  
2\. Law will be younger by 3 years in this story. That makes him only 4 years older than Luffy, and a year older than Ace and Sabo. It don't really change anything in his backstory, but allow me more room for their relationship. I don't believe in romance between children, and definitely not between adult and child, so none of that in any of my stories.  
3\. Law's crew won't make appearance in this story. I was thinking about adding Bepo, but decided against it. It's a bit spoilery, I know, but as I like to know into what kind of story I'm delving, I like to inform my readers about possible deterrents.

And finally, I need your opinion on something. I wrote in summery that Luffy's epithet will be Straw Hat Raven, because I still want her crew to be called Straw Hats. I was thinking about canon Law's crew - they are called Heart Pirates while he's Surgeon of Death. Quite unrelated, right? So, I'd like to change Luffy's epithet into Death Canary. There is a reason behind that name, but that's gonna stay secret for now. And, wouldn't be hilarious cause Luffy so don't like to be called that? :) Also, it would be so nice to call her and Law Death duo or something. Her Jolly Roger will still have straw hat (as you can see in the picture), so the crew still be Straw Hats. Please, leave review what you think about it. Maybe you have some other cool epithet for her to offer?


	4. Chapter 4

**Betaread by** **stanleyman.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

* * *

"Lu-chan, that's a bad idea."

Luffy didn't acknowledge the warning from her new friend, but her brow did furrow in that stubborn 'I'm-gonna-do-it-anyway' way as she observed Mihawk on the other side of the beach.

The sun was dipping closer to the horizon and several bonfires dotted the beach. The air tasted heavenly from enough delicious meat roasting to feed the whole crew and then some. Laughter and songs filled the air, creating a festive mood that lifted the spirits and made everybody want to move, dance, and sing.

The Red-Hair Pirates were too busy partying to notice their smallest guest missing from all the fun.

Mijay huffed as she was so blatantly ignored. Her gaze flicked to where the young fruit user was staring. Upon seeing her brother exchanging sake cups with Shanks, her golden orbs flashed with longing and her chest tightened. She immediately smothered those feelings. They were alive and Mijay was, well, dead. She had already resigned to stay a bystander, helpless to do anything but watch forever, and had learned to live with that.

Mijay glanced down at Luffy.

Until this girl came.

Didn't change the fact that this was still a bad idea.

"Lu-cha–"

One look from Luffy and Mijay felt her jaw clamping up mid-word. There was so much tenacity, so much force, so much _power_ in those black eyes that it left the ghost girl speechless. Briefly, she wondered if this was a side effect of her unique Devil Fruit – neither she nor Rodger knew much about it – or Luffy's innate potential.

"He needs to know," Luffy declared with absolute finality.

"I agree with Mijay, Luffy," Roger said, looking and sounding serious for a change. "Mihawk is not like my boy Shanks, he's a stuck-up snob. He won't believe you."

Mijay gave the man a dirty look, but then shook her head and sighed in defeat. "…As much as I don't want to agree with the old guy, he has a point."

The youngest girl scrunched her brow. "Sno– Snot?"

Both spirits blinked. The second her words registered in their minds, Roger doubled with laughter and Mijay snorted but managed to stifle her own fit of chuckles.

Luffy glanced up at Roger, then Mijay, and finally back at Mihawk in the distance, nibbling her lower lip. "But…" she trailed off, hesitating, before crying out desperately, "But for some reason, I feel really sad because he doesn't know!"

The ghost girl's eyes widened while Roger's narrowed into a contemplative frown.

At that moment, Shanks stood and strolled off, laughing loudly at a disapproving glower his fellow swordsman sent after him. Mihawk was left sitting alone under the trees at the edge of the forest, further away from the entire party racket.

"Ah! My chance!" Luffy chirped happily, bolting towards the man before his ghost friends could so as much as utter a word.

"Ne, old man, can you feel it too?" Mijay asked after a moment of watching the little raven sprinting through the sand. "This strong pull towards her."

"Yes," the Pirate King replied. "We're nothing but bare souls, held upon this world only by our wishes and regrets. It seems that Luffy naturally attracts wandering spirits like us and instinctively absorbs the residue of their will. She's still a child and doesn't understand that all those emotions are not her own."

"What a dangerous Devil Fruit," Mijay muttered. "It's fine with us. I just want my brother to know that I'm watching over him and you want to find your kid, but what if she meets a ghost who wants to kill someone or worse and channels their evil urges into her?"

Roger didn't answer because the result of such an encounter was obvious.

Possessing the living being was impossible – the owner's soul instantly expelled the foreign entity from its mortal shell. In normal circumstances influencing them was also unattainable – humans simply didn't have the capacity to even be aware of ghosts' existence. Luffy… was different though. While she couldn't be possessed by malevolent spirits, they still could push their twisted intentions into her mind the moment they realized it was possible.

The accursed Devil Fruit indeed.

* * *

Luffy felt anxious. It was one thing to approach this man while surrounded by the Red-Haired Pirates – she trusted them explicitly – but a completely different thing to come to talk with him while there was no one else around.

She could always tell when the person wasn't that fond of her. It wasn't like Mihawk _disliked_ her entirely. The little raven met her share of that kind of people, some adults but mostly other kids, to recognize the difference. He just didn't seem to care about her at all. And he _was_ intimidating.

But if her new friends were right, he could get angry. Absentmindedly, Luffy rubbed her neck. She had experienced such anger once from the man who came to work for her dad. He had the ghosts of his wife and daughter following him, and when she conveyed their last words of love to him, the man had lost his mind. He suddenly attacked, crying in grief and howling in outrage not to lie, and almost strangled her. Good thing that Cyrus heard the ruckus and came to check.

Luffy never saw that man again, alive or otherwise.

So, yeah, she knew that it could blow up into her face, she wasn't dumb. She was a raven! And ravens were cool and smart and powerful and brave and–

"What do you want?"

Startled out of her thoughts, Luffy looked up. Mihawk was staring down at her, golden eyes cold and distant, the usual scowl forming those funny frownies in his brow. She wrung her hands, all of her previous confidence oozing out of her like air from a deflated balloon.

"If you don't want anything, go away," the man rumbled, already turning away.

"I wanted…" Luffy started hesitantly. She took a deep breath and then let the words tumble out. "I wanted to say that Jay-chan is here with you and she's looking after you and she loves you and she cares about you very much and she's–"

Her nervous babble was interrupted by the swordsman's dismissive, "Who is this person you speak of?"

The girl blinked. "Jay-chan," she repeated. "You know, your sister?"

Mihawk's golden eyes snapped back to her, sharp and intimidating. "How do you know about her?" he demanded. After a split second, he shot a murderous glare towards the laughing redhead. "Shanks…"

"J-Jay-chan– Jay-chan is here," Luffy stated meekly. "Well, not here, she's over there," she quickly corrected herself by pointing at the spot where she had left two ghosts standing. However, they were gone now. Confusion fluttered across her features. "Huh? Where did they go?"

"Enough of your lies," Mihawk said coldly, his terrifying gaze drilling into the girl. The latter felt even smaller than she actually was. "I don't know why Shanks told you about her, but she's dead and cannot be _here_." He let out a quiet scathing scoff and turned away, again dismissing the little raven's whole existence. "Such nonsense."

"But–"

"Go away."

Luffy's hands balled into tight fists. Her fear slowly dissolved, replaced by hurt and anger. Jay-chan was her friend and Luffy knew exactly how she'd feel once she heard about this. "Jay-chan is here!" she screamed, defiant tears stinging her eyes. "And she's watching over you! You stupid, stuuuupid, stuuuuuuuuuuupid bird-ossan!" Then the girl pivoted on her heel and stormed off.

Mihawk watched her small form disappear into the shadowy forest, face awash with indifference.

"Dahahahaha! Did I just hear the kid calling you stupid three times?"

The swordsman turned to look at the approaching pirate captain and his expression darkened. "Why did you tell some random brat about Mijay, Shanks?"

"Huh?" The redhead blinked dumbly at him. "What are you talking about?" He scratched his head, looking genuinely confused. "I never told Luffy about Mi–" His eyes suddenly widened as the true meaning of those words finally sunk in. "Did Luffy say that Mijay was here?!" he demanded, facepalming a second later. "Well, of course! That makes sense. How else would she know?"

"What are you saying?"

"You stuuuuupid bird-ossan!" Shanks shouted all of a sudden straight into the other swordsman's face.

Mihawk's eye twitched. "Do you wish to die a premature death?" he asked in a dangerously low voice.

The redhead simply grinned at him, brushing his threat like it was nothing. "Luffy has a Devil Fruit that allows her to see and talk with ghosts," he explained, turning towards the direction where the little raven had fled. "Let's go find her."

"See and talk with ghosts?" the man repeated, still trying to wrap his mind around this piece of information."

"Yep," Shanks confirmed. "Come on, let's go," he insisted with urgency. "That little menace is a trouble magnet and if something happens to the brat, her father will have my head."

A smirk toyed with the corner of Mihawk's mouth as he heaved himself up. "Oh?"

"Believe me," Shanks grimaced, "it's better not to piss Luffy's daddy off."

* * *

"Stupid bird-ossan… Stupid Shanks… Stupid everyone…" Luffy muttered vehemently under her breath as she trudged through the forest. Tears were still slowly falling down her flushed cheeks and she angrily wiped them away.

"Does that mean I'm stupid too?"

The girl stopped in her trek and turned towards Mijay who offered her a sad smile. The sight of that made Luffy even more upset. Her tears doubled. "S-Sorry, Jay-chan…" she sniffled. "He– he didn't listen."

"Oh, Lu-chan," the ghost said quietly. "It's fine, you know? You told him about me and it's more than I could have hoped before meeting you. So, everything is alright. Cheer up, okay?"

Luffy brushed her arm across her running nose. Mijay was lying. It wasn't alright, she could tell. How, though, the little raven wasn't quite certain herself. "Your brother is a jerk…" she mumbled.

Mijay laughed at that. "He sure is sometimes," she agreed with a grin. "But, hey, Shanks is here and he's aware of your powers, right?" She paused, waiting for the younger girl to confirm it with a nod, and then continued her gentle coaxing, "So, let's do it like this: you tell him about me and ask to notify that jackass brother of mine. What do you think?"

Luffy didn't reply right away. She took a few seconds to think, at the same time absentmindedly cleaning her face from the remaining tears. Finally, she reached a decision and opened her mouth to say it out loud–

"What do we have here?"

Both girls startled at the gruff voice. Soon three men emerged from the shadows, all greasy hair and dirty clothes.

"Look, mates, it's a lil' princess, hehehe," the same one cackled, his chapped lips stretching into a smile with a few teeth missing. "Whatcha doin' here, girlie?"

Luffy felt the hair stand up on the back of her neck when the man riveted his beady eyes on her. It reminded strongly of the dead guy from the cliff and that wasn't an experience she wished to repeat. Slowly backing off, she muttered, "I– I need to go."

"Tell them that you're not alone," Mijay advised, her golden gaze quickly assessing the three men. They didn't look like decent hunters or innocent passersby. Poachers most likely, she surmised.

"I'm not alone," Luffy repeated hastily. "Shanks is looking for me."

"Oh?" the guy drawled. His eyes briefly flickered to one of his companions before settling back on the kid. "We can help you find yer way back. It's not safe for a lil' missy like yerself to be wandering around here at night."

Mijay watched one poacher creeping subtly forward and realized that he was trying to get behind her friend. "Lu-chan!" she exclaimed in alarm. "Run!"

Luffy didn't question the ghost's command and immediately bolted. However, she wasn't fast enough. A hand grabbed her by her hair and yanked her back.

A cry of pain pierced the silent forest.

The man backhanded her with an aggressive order, "Shut your trap!"

The hit was so strong that it made Luffy dizzy. Onyx eyes welled with tears. It hurt so much!

The poacher gripped the girl's thin arm, sweaty hand pressing hard enough to leave a bruise."Aniki, what if there really is someone looking for her?" one guy asked, shooting nervous glances at his surroundings.

"Then we take our prey and move away from here, you dumbass!"

Mijay panicked. What was she supposed to do?! "Use your claws!" she screamed. "And then fly away from here!"

Luffy bit her lip. Black wings spread out and she lashed out with her leg as Cyrus had taught her. Her sharp talons easily ripped through the material of the man's pants and across his skin, drawing blood.

"Aaah!" he screamed, both his hands automatically moving to the wound.

The moment she was free, Luffy pushed herself off of the ground. Before she could ascend high enough to be safe, a heavy net was thrown on top of her, entangling her wings. She plummeted back down like a stone and hit the ground with a shocking force that left her wheezing.

"Goddamn!" the injured man cursed. "What kind of freak is that?!"

His companion squatted next to the captured child, eyeing her shivering form while frowning thoughtfully. "Some kind of bird Zoan," he said, a malicious grin splitting his face in two. "We're gonna be rich, Aniki!"

"Hehehehe," the boss laughed, petting the girl's black wing. It twitched but Luffy couldn't pull it away. "Such a precious lil' birdie," he chuckled. "Much better than those Paradise Birds we were hunting for the past few months."

Luffy looked up and fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. "Shanks…"

The man sneered. "Okay, let's move out!" he exclaimed, and was about to grab the net when he felt a light touch to his shoulder. A naked blade slowly appeared in his sight, sliding past his wrinkled shirt to hover uncomfortably close to his exposed throat.

"And where do you think you're going?" a voice spoke from behind, cold and deadly.

The man gulped, furiously trying to think up a reply, when a second blade – this time much bigger and completely black – appeared on his other shoulder, and his weakened knees almost gave out from its weight.

"Step away from the girl," the second voice ordered softly, equally dangerous. The other two poachers obeyed without a single protest.

"You two are finally here!" Mijay yelled, kicking her good-for-nothing brother's leg. Her attack phased through it as always. "I swear if you would have shown up a minute later I would have turned into an evil spirit and haunted your collective asses till the day you die!"

Of course, only one person heard her in the end. The ghost girl just huffed, irritated.

"Shanks!" this time Luffy called louder.

The poacher broke into cold sweat. "W-w-we were just passing by, friends!" he stammered out, showing a wobbly smile. "We found her like th–"

"I don't believe you," the red-haired pirate cut him off. He lowered his weapon and walked past him towards the girl, glaring the other two down until they completely cowered down in sheer terror under his murderous gaze. Shanks crouched down, laying his sword on the ground, and smiled warmly. "Hey, Luffy. Sorry we're late."

Luffy shook her head, but couldn't say more than, "Shanks…"

"Alright, let's get you out of this thing," Shanks said as he started to carefully disentangle her from the net. Once she was free, he put a hand under her chin and glowered at the darkening bruise on her puffy face. His brown eyes snapped up at the two poachers when he heard them shifting in their position. "Don't. Move," he demanded in an alarmingly slow tone.

Both guys froze, hoping beyond hope to blend in with nature and be overlooked in the end.

Shanks' eyes softened considerably as he looked back at the girl. "Hey, don't cry," he said soothingly, wiping her tears away with his thumb. "You're a very brave canary, remember?"

"Not a canary…" Luffy retorted promptly. "A raven."

The redhead chuckled, "A very brave raven." He ruffled her hair with his free hand as he stood up, his gesture of comfort wholeheartedly welcomed this time. "Mihawk, can you bring Luffy back to the camp?"

The other swordsman stared at him, then glanced back at the three ruffians. His lips quirked up into a smirk. "Very well," he conceded, retreating Yoru to its place on his back.

At that moment Mijay beckoned Luffy closer, a wicked grin plastered across her face. "If you want revenge for what he did to you, Lu-chan, do as I say, okay?"

Pale blue eyes sparkled in awe as the raven listened to her ghost friend's instructions. "Will that really work?" she asked after the latter finished.

Mijay flashed her thumbs-up and winked. "Guaranteed!"

Shanks turned his attention back to his young charge when he heard the rustle of feathers. He let out a rather unmanly yelp when Luffy shot past him, flying at full speed. Once she was near her attacker, she flipped nimbly in the air and smashed both her outstretched legs straight into his crotch.

Garbled shrieks left the man's throat, face white as a sheet and beaded with sweat. He doubled over and fell on his knees, his hands covering his family jewels and tears springing into his eyes.

One of his friends outright fainted, leaving the other one mumbling apology after apology and praying for mercy.

Shanks cringed and drew a sharp breath with one of his eyes closed to avoid looking at the painful scene as much as possible. Even Mihawk seemed kind of disturbed by what he'd just witnessed.

"It worked!" Luffy cheered, fist-pumping the air. "Jay-chan, it worked!"

Mijay huffed. "I told you," she replied smugly. "Now, remember: stomp on their feet!"

"Stomp on their feet!"

"Crack their nose!"

"Crack their nose!"

"And crush their balls!"

"Crush their balls!" Luffy repeated dutifully before bursting into merry laughter. "Stomp on their feet! Crack their nose! Crush their balls!"

Mijay nodded along, pleased by the progress of her little pupil.

Shanks facepalmed. "Oh my god, Mijay…"

"Don't teach her such unnecessary things, sister," Mihawk agreed with a sigh.

"What are you saying?!" the ghost girl fumed, putting her hands on her hips and cocking her chin up. "She needs a way to protect herself from the perverts!" And then her eyes widened, the realization that her brother acknowledged her existence hitting her like a punch in the guts.

"Jay-chan says that it's to protect myself from the perverts!" Luffy conveyed her words to the living before scratching her head. "What's a pervert?"

"Someone who you don't want anywhere near you," Shanks grumbled.

"That's very unladylike, Mijay."

Mijay's jaw dropped. "I can't believe you're still saying that!" she cried out. "Little brother, you suck! Big time!"

The swordsman, of course, couldn't hear her. He turned to leave so quickly that no one noticed the small grin lingering on his lips. "Come on, little monkey, we're going back to the camp."

"I'm not a monkey, I'm a raven!" Luffy declared loudly out of habit. After a moment, she blinked and rubbed the back of her head, looking sheepish. "Actually, I _am_ Monkey, shishishishi." She glanced at Shanks. After receiving a shooing gesture from the redhead, she scrambled to catch up with the older man. "Wait for me, bird-ossan!"

"It's Mihawk," he uttered curtly as soon as she fell in step with him.

"Hawk-ossan!"

Irritated golden eyes flicked down just to see a blinding toothy grin. The man scowled. "…Whatever."

* * *

Later that night, Shanks found Mihawk on his ship, leaning against the railing and watching the moonlight dancing across the dark surface of the sea.

"You know that you can talk with her through Luffy," the redhead told him as he put three sakazuki cups and a sake bottle on the railing and mirrored his friend's position.

"No need," the older man answered. "She already told me everything I need to know."

Shanks grinned. He opened the bottle. "Remember this?" he asked, filling the cups to the brim.

Mihawk let out a soft scoff. "As I said, sometimes even I regret my life decisions," he quipped with a smirk.

"Pff," the pirate captain huffed. "Lucky for you, Mijay can't actually kick your ass anymore."

That caused the swordsman's lips to twitch into a frown and he shot an indignant glare at his friend.

Shanks' exuberant laughter echoed into the night. He picked up one of the sakazuki cups and raised it to the sky "To our little tigress!"

Mihawk snorted. "To Mijay." He lifted his own cup.

They clanged all three cups together and gulped their drinks down.

Unbeknown to them, the person they were toasting to stood beside them, unshed tears glistening in her fiery eyes. She lifted her empty hand up and whispered, "To my best friend and my beloved little brother."

* * *

 **-three days later, late evening-**

Luffy pouted. Yesterday, her new friend left with her brother. It was fun spending time with Shanks and the rest of the pirates, but she was starting to miss Roger and his stories. It had been a while since he showed up.

Ghosts sometimes did disappear for a period of time. Luffy had noticed this, so she wasn't really worried.

Now, the crew sat scattered around several bonfires that dotted the beach, enjoying their meal. It wasn't the party per se, but it wasn't a quiet dinner either. Luffy was seated on the fallen tree trunk, tucked safely between Shanks and Benn, and pouting because everyone was choosing to drink instead of recalling their adventures.

She loved hearing about their adventures!

"Luffy, cheer up," Lucky Roo said to their smallest guest, offering her a plate full of nicely roasted, sweet-smelling pieces of meat. "Here, I prepared this especially for you."

"Really?!" Luffy beamed at him. "Thanks!"

"Dahahahaha!" Shanks burst out laughing. "You're such a child!"

"Shut up, stupid Shanks!" the girl outright growled at him around a mouthful of meat. "Or I'm going to tell the guys a story about you, the clown, the chicken, and the tomatoes."

Shanks' eyes widened and he instantly spluttered in denial, "That didn't happen!"

"Oh?" Benn chimed in, an amused smile curled on his lips. "What kind of story?"

"Well, Moustache-ossan told me that this one time Shanks an–" A hand suddenly covered her mouth. "–mhmmmhm… Mmmhh!?"

"Aww, come on, Captain, let her tell the story!" the nearby pirates chorused together.

"No!" Shanks hissed at them. Good thing that his cheeks were already flushed red from all the alcohol he had drunk at this point. "That didn't happen. Period!"

He glowered at Luffy who was staring back at him, mischief written all over her adorable face. The man sighed, dropping his hand down from her mouth which was curled into a wicked smirk. He lifted his straw hat and raked his fingers through his red locks. "Roger is really mean. Why did he even tell you that story?" He was definitely sulking now.

"Shishishishi." Luffy proceeded to eat her food. "It was a very funny story."

"No, it wasn't!" Shanks protested. "Also," he turned to his crew and pointed his finger at them to drive his point, "it absolutely didn't happen!"

"You keep telling yourself that."

Benn chuckled as his captain glared at the little menace. "You're no match for her," he pointed out.

"Bah!" Shanks continued to sulk. He found a bottle of sake and brought it to his lips to take a good swig. God knew he really needed it after being picked by his dead captain yet again! Suddenly, he noticed a bulky shadowy silhouette, looming behind his crewmates just outside the lighted area. His eyes bulged out and he spat all his sake out from a surprise. It definitely wasn't there a second ago!

Luffy seemed to notice the figure too because her smile's amplitude cranked up past a million. "Dad!" she exclaimed, putting her plate down and instantaneously shooting from her position towards the stranger.

The latter stepped closer, the light of the fire illuminating only the lower half of his face and exposing a crooked grin. He met his daughter with his arms wide open.

Benn puffed a cloud of smoke and said, "I guess now we know where Luffy's tendency to do heart-stopping tricks came from."

Shanks swiped a sleeve across his face, grumbling, "Yeah, no kidding." He stood up, quickly giving his men a signal that it wasn't hostile, and approached the father and the daughter duo.

"One more time I express my gratitude for taking care of my daughter," Dragon said. "I'll never forget this debt to you."

"Anytime." Shanks grinned. "It wasn't a problem at all."

"An unknown ship is quickly approaching!"

Everyone looked towards the sea in a response to the lookout's warning shout, instantly alert and ready.

"That's our ship," Dragon informed.

"Not the enemy!" Shanks hollered to his crew and they all relaxed.

"Are we leaving already?" Luffy asked, unable to fully hide the disappointment in her voice.

"The ship took damage," her father said, watching said ship prepare to drop an anchor right next to the pirate vessel. "An emergency repair will take at least a day."

"YEAH!"

"Oh, it's good to see our little princess happy and healthy."

Luffy whipped her head towards the direction of the new voice. "Cyrus!" she cheered, swiftly transforming into her fruit's half form and flying to hug the man.

The blond managed to suppress a painful wince when she slammed into his chest. Apparently, it wasn't enough, because in the next second a look of concern etched itself onto Luffy's features. "You alright, Cyrus?"

"Just a graze. Nothing to worry your pretty head about," the man replied, cracking a small smirk and reaching to ruffle her hair. Just as he expected, the girl puffed her cheeks, expressing the highest level of indignation, and wriggled out of his arms to avoid the embarrassing gesture of affection.

She grabbed his other hand and tugged him to follow with a demanding, "Come with me." Luffy dragged him along towards her previous spot on the fallen tree. "I'll give you my meat."

Cyrus raised an eyebrow. "Really? That's rare."

"Shishishishi. Lucky Roo made it especially for me! It's super yummy!"

"Luffy is sharing her meat!" Shanks cried out in disbelief.

"Shut up, stupid Shanks!"

"We definitely have to celebrate that!"

"WHOOOOOOA!" the crew roared. "TIME TO PARTY!"

Dragon pinched the bridge of his nose.

Urgh. Pirates.

* * *

 **-one day later, morning-**

"Moustache-ossan!" Luffy exclaimed joyfully, pushing herself off of the ship's railing. Such a carefree action elicited a bunch of terrified gasps and shrieks all around. She ignored them all with practiced ease, transformed while in free-fall, flapping her wings just before slamming into the ground, and landed gracefully on her two bird-like feet. "Here you are!"

"Here I am," the ghost replied, grinning. "It seems I appeared just in time."

"Are you coming with me?" the girl asked in a voice that did nothing to hide her hope. When she got a positive answer, her grin flared to a dangerous level and she fist-pumped the air.

"Roger's coming with you?" Shanks inquired as he stopped in front of the kid.

"Yep! We're gonna find his son!"

The man grinned. "Happy to hear that." They stared at each other. "So, that's it, our cute little canary."

"I'm not a canary, I'm the raven!" As always Luffy's temper erupted like a live volcano. "And I'm not cute! One day, I'm gonna be strong! Stronger than you! Stronger than everyone! And I'll become the Pirate King, you'll see!"

The declaration was delivered with absolute confidence and the undeniable finality that only a special few people in the world could ever hope to exhibit.

"Oh?" Shanks uttered. "Say, Luffy, how's Roger reacting to your dream of becoming the Pirate King?"

The girl furrowed her brow at an unexpected question, then glanced at the empty spot next to her. "He's showing me a double thumbs-up." She paused. "And says that I'll make a fine Pirate King."

The redhead's smile took an enigmatic edge as he reached for his straw hat. "Then…" he took it off, "…he won't be against me doing this," and put it on the little raven's head. "It was Roger's hat before he gave it to me and now I'm giving it to you. Take good care of it." Luffy pushed her new hat up so that she could fix her wide eyes on him and Shanks sent her a wink. "Make us all proud by becoming the Pirate King."

Luffy's wings suddenly fluttered and her lips quivered, her dark lashes now heavy with tears.

"Dahahahaha! And here I thought that you're a very brave canar–"

An unmerciful stomp on his feet and a furious, "Raven!" interrupted him. While Shanks jumped around on one leg, cursing ungrateful brats under his breath, Luffy held her straw hat in place and flew back up to the ship, latching onto the wooden railing with her talons. She quickly rubbed her face to get rid of the tears and then turned around, a bright grin firmly back in place. "Bye, guys!" she exclaimed, waving at the rest of the Red-Hair Pirates that gathered behind their captain. "It was fun! Thanks!"

The pirates happily returned her goodbyes. "Bye, Luffy!"

"Don't injure your wings, lassie!"

"And don't fall into the sea!"

"Eat your vegetables!"

"Stay away from perverts!"

"And boys! Stay away from boys!"

"Stay safe!"

Their shouts continued until they finally chorused together, "Come visit us again!"

The sails of the ship that the girl was on unfolded at that moment, the wind starting swiftly carrying it away.

Luffy laughed. "I will!" Glancing at Shanks for the last time, she caught him smiling at her, his smile full of warmth and fondness. Her throat tightened again and she waved vigorously at him. "Thanks for saving my life, Shanks!" After a moment, she added, "Roger says that he's very proud of you and gives you his last order: take care of yourself, brat!"

That line caught Shanks completely off guard. It felt like someone stole the air from his lungs, emotions welling inside his chest and threatening to burst it open. He observed the revolutionaries' ship pulling off the coastal waters and into an open sea and he could perfectly picture the towering figure in the long red coat standing on its deck, that unwavering gaze and vicious grin fixed towards the faraway horizon.

"Thanks, Captain, I will."

The sea breeze sheltered his whisper in its embrace and carried it into the distance.

* * *

Next morning Dragon, Cyrus, and Luffy were having the breakfast together in the small dining room, separated from the rest of the crew.

"Ne, Dad?"

Dragon was reaching for his coffee when his daughter called, so he lowered his newspaper and glanced at her. Luffy broke into a huge grin, biting a fork between her teeth, and he hesitated to grip the handle of the cup.

He had a bad feeling about this.

None of that showed on his face or in his voice as he forwent his coffee and instead asked, "What is it, Luffy?"

The girl giggled, eyes bright with exhilarated excitement, and Dragon felt his hair standing on end. "Jay-chan said it's great to be a big sister! So, Dad, can I get a little brother too?" she chirped happily. "Or, or two! Two would be sooooo cool! I want two! Pleeeeeease?"

Cyrus snorted into his glass of water. Water got into his nose and he started coughing. "Sorry," he muttered once he got it under control. He wiped his mouth with a napkin, successfully covering his amused grin from prying eyes.

Not that anyone in the room was looking at him. Luffy continued to stare at her father, gaze unblinking, expression open and innocent, and Dragon gawked back at her, his mind sputtering to a complete halt.

Good thing he didn't pick up that coffee to drink.

"Impossible," the man finally replied.

"Eeeeeh? But whyyyy?"

"Your mother had already died."

Luffy scrunched her face, struggling to understand her father's reasoning. "What does Mom have anything to do with me getting a little brother?" she asked slowly, clearly confused. "Can't you just give me one by yourself?"

Cyrus couldn't hold out any longer and began snickering behind his palm.

Despite his face being as calm as ever, Dragon's mind was one big mess. Hundreds of plans and tactics how to properly handle this situation were created and discarded in a space of a few breaths. Honestly, planning an all-out assault on the World Government would be a much easier task than deciding how to properly give his baby daughter the Talk.

He wondered if he should use the method Garp used on him. The moment that thought crossed his mind, Dragon could almost hear his wife shouting bloody murder at him from the great beyond.

No. Definitely not an option. But that left him with no concrete strategy.

The minutes ticked by. One, two...

"Dad?"

Abruptly, the man stood up. Luffy and Cyrus blinked wearily, startled. "Need to go," Dragon said coolly, his face a perfectly constructed mask of aloofness. "Navigator called me earlier." He swiftly moved to exit the room. If his posture was a bit stiff, no one noticed. "Cyrus is going to explain everything you want, Luffy."

Luffy brightened up, but the blond's jaw hit the table. "Eeeeeeeeeh?! Dragon-san?!" he exclaimed in alarm, watching his boss opening the door. "Dragon–" The door closed with a click, leaving only two of them in the room. "–san..?"

Cyrus' head spun.

Did his leader–

Did his leader just–

Did his leader just beat a hasty retreat from telling his daughter how babies are made?! And did he also just dump that responsibility on him?! Just like that?!

"Why can't Dad just give me a little brother? Why does he need Mom for that?" Luffy repeated her questions, focusing all of her attention at Cyrus now, those black eyes boring into him with all the force and eagerness a child her age could muster.

"Uhhh…" was his very eloquent reply.

Cyrus would have rather helped Dragon plan an all-out assault on the World Government than explain to an almost 8-year-old girl the intricacy of the birds and the bees.

He was so screwed.

This was definitely way above his pay grade, dammit!

* * *

 **A/N**

Go, Cyrus! You can do it! Law's future love (sex) life depends on you! xD


End file.
